How to Comment on edweek.org: A Notice to Readers

To better facilitate robust discussions on edweek.org, we are upgrading our commenting platform. Comments on the site will now be powered by Disqus, a system used by a number of major publishers. It makes it easier for you to find and participate in popular discussions and offers improved spam filtering.

Information for Current Users

If you are a current subscriber or registered user, and have already established a Display Name on edweek.org, you don't need to do anything in order to comment.

Current users who had set up an avatar (or profile picture) under our old commenting system may see that their avatar has changed or been removed. Learn more.

"Persona pages" and "discussion forums" have been disabled. Additionally, current users may have difficulty accessing comments they made in the past, a feature we hope will be reinstated soon. That said, our new system provides easy access to popular discussions. Learn more.

Information for New Users

If you have never commented before, but would like to, all you have to do is subscribe or register for free on edweek.org, create a Display Name, and make sure you are logged in. Learn more.

The Ground Rules

We encourage lively debate, but ask that you be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement. All comments are public.

Learn More

If, during the subscription or registration process, you created a Display Name, you are ready to comment. If not, please create a Display Name. To do so, go to your My Account page, click "Edit My Information," set your "Display Name" (bottom right), and click "Save My Changes."

Once you've completed these two steps, simply scroll to the bottom of any article or blog post and begin typing your comment where it says "Join the discussion..." Once you're finished with your comment, click "Post as [Display Name]."

You can also reply directly to other comments by clicking on the "Reply" option below the comment.

You can edit or delete a comment after you have posted it. Here's how.

In addition to replying to a comment, you can also "up vote," "down vote," or share a comment. Below each comment are arrows you can use to indicate whether you like or dislike a comment. By default, comments with the most "up votes" appear at the top of the comment thread. Hover over the "Share" option below a comment to share it on social media.

If you find a comment to be inappropriate, you can flag that comment and our moderators will review it. (You can also flag individual users.) Here's how.

You'll also notice that there's an option to "Block Users." If you choose to block a user, you will never see them again. Their activity and comments will not appear in any of the comment threads you view.

Comments are sorted in order of when they were posted, so the oldest comment appears first. However, you also have the option of seeing the newest comments first, or the comments with the most "up votes." Just click "Sort by Oldest" in the top right of the comment thread.

At the top of each comment thread is a way to access the latest discussions on edweek.org. Click "Education Week" (next to the comment count). In the viewing pane that pops up, you can toggle between "Latest Discussions" and "Top Commenters."

By default, you will receive notifications for all replies to your comments. You can also subscribe to entire discussions you want to follow. Here's how.

If you do not have a Disqus account, you can create one. As long as the account you create is under the same email address you use on edweek.org, any changes you make in Disqus will appear on edweek.org. Previous commenters who would like to update their avatar will need to make a Disqus account to do so. Here's how to update your Disqus settings and avatar.

Disqus, like many other internet applications, will also pull your Gravatar as your avatar, if you have one. (Gravatar is a website that creates globally recognized avatars. Learn more.)